“I am glad to hear that—”
But do not mistake his alliance for obedience. The shade will seek to undermine, if he can, for his own ends…
There was no opportunity for Mendeln to reply, for Rathma materialized next to him, the demoness’s son fighting to keep his normally disinterested expression intact. Mendeln had become experienced enough reading the ancient spellcaster to know that what news he brought was not good.
“He is nowhere to be found,” Rathma reported, more to Trag’Oul than to Mendeln.
You have gazed upon all planes?
“Naturally. I have also summoned him in a hundred manners, some of which put me at risk. It was necessary to do so, though the results were not as I wished.”
The dragon was oddly silent for a time. Then, You realize, my friend, that there are few other paths…
Rathma nodded. “Yes, the most preferable one is that somehow he has passed on to that place from which even you could not summon him back. Certainly, it would be his reward for what he had so far done.”
His reward…yes…that would be the best hope…
“But you find that as unlikely as I do.”
Mendeln had listened to their back-and-forth long enough. “Who? Is my brother in danger? Is that of whom you speak?”
Rathma’s aspect grew as grim as Mendeln had ever seen it. “No. It is your friend, Achilios. I can find no trace of him. None.”
“Is that possible?”
“Possible…barely. Potentially devastating, definitely.”
“Does Lilith have him?” Mendeln’s mind raced as he attempted unsuccessfully to determine just what the demoness would do with the archer.
“If that were so, I would be much relieved,” her son replied frankly. “No, Mendeln, I fear someone else has him and it may be my father.”
“Inarius?” But the moment after he spouted the angel’s name, Mendeln recalled the odd inflection in Rathma’s voice when uttering one word. “But wait! What did you mean by ’may’?”
There was silence, made the more ominous by the stirring of the stars above them. Whatever Rathma had hinted at, Trag’Oul understood exactly and did not like.
And if it so disturbed even the timeless entity, it meant ill for not only Uldyssian, but likely all of Sanctuary.
“I mean…” Rathma began slowly, looking very weary. “I have charted path after path concerning my father and cannot fathom any reason that he would take your Achilios so blatantly. His presence would explain one short period of mystery, but certainly not this. This is not how Inarius works…”
Even though Trag’Oul was stable, he yet radiated his concern, too. No…it is not…
“And if that is the case, it may be that we are all already doomed.” The son of Lilith declared the end of Sanctuary with barely any inflection. “For if it is not Inarius who has taken Achilios…then I fear that it was another angel…”
“Another angel? Surely, a demon instead!”
“No. That I have made certain of. No denizen of the Burning Hells could have taken him without leaving their foul touch behind. Only with my father have I seen such absence of signs.”
The stars that were Trag’Oul grew more and more agitated, as did Mendeln. They all knew what it meant if another angel was present.
The High Heavens had discovered Sanctuary.
The end of the world was imminent.
Nineteen
There was no word from Mendeln and certainly none from Achilios. Uldyssian feared for both of them, but could not let their absences hinder him any longer.
The edyrem marched. Marched in the direction of Istani. The closer they got to the smaller city, the more Uldyssian took precautions, especially when it came to scouting. Not only did he stretch his abilities to their utmost, but for the first time he dared send out others even farther beyond. They, in turn, maintained contact with him and those nearest, creating a sweeping field that, besides its main function, Uldyssian also hoped would keep any of those who had volunteered from suddenly vanishing or being attacked.
With barely a day more to Istani, Uldyssian remained tense. The supreme temple lay not all that much farther away; he had no doubt that they were already preparing for his coming. The sooner the edyrem finished with Istani, the better.
Serenthia joined him at the lead. “Should we even stop? I know that you’ve gone back and forth about it since we began moving again, but the main temple is so close…”
“I know. I’ve been considering something.” Uldyssian finally summoned Rashim to him. “I’ve a mission for you, if you will accept it.”
“Of course, master!” the Hashiri eagerly replied.
Wincing at the man’s willingness to take on what might be a deadly task, Uldyssian explained, “I want you to find four others and race as quickly as you can toward Kalinash.”
This startled both Rashim and Serenthia. “Kalinash, master?” the Hashiri repeated. “Surely Istani?”
“No. Kalinash. Ride for a full day and keep seeking with your mind as I’ve shown. I want to know if there’s any movement at all from that direction.”
Understanding now came to the others. “Aaah, yes, master,” Rashim replied. “I will pick the others and be gone as quickly as the wind!”
“Rashim…always take care. Return as soon as you can. Don’t go any farther.”
“I will obey, master.”
Serenthia nodded in approval. “You fear a trap.”
“They know that we’re coming. There could already be an army or worse heading toward us from the south. Why else wait until we’re pounding at the gates?”
She mulled this over for a moment, then answered, “Because they have something even more terrible awaiting us there?”
“That may very well be the case,” Uldyssian agreed, “but I can’t take the chance that we’re being outflanked.”
“No…you’re right. Rashim is good; if there’s anyone coming, he’ll definitely alert us, Uldyssian.”
“That’s what I hope.”
True to his word, Rashim and his chosen set off but minutes later. Uldyssian had not allowed the rest of his followers to even slow during that time. The mass of bodies was so great that they stretched for a mile in the jungle and for the first time, Uldyssian formally thought of them as an army, too. The term had drifted into and out of his mind over the course of events, but with the confrontation with the Triune close at hand, he decided that he had to treat them as such. Discipline had to be at its utmost; otherwise, even with the advances made lately by many—including the newest converts—the edyrem’s combined powers might not yet be enough to defeat Lilith and her pawns.
Not that Uldyssian was all that certain that victory was assured even if they were.
The day wore on. He sensed Rashim now and then, a simple touch from the Hashiri’s mind enough to let Uldyssian know that all was well with the scouting party and that nothing had so far been detected. It was very possible that Kalinash was entirely ignorant of events. Uldyssian certainly hoped so.
When evening came and the edyrem halted, he summoned Saron, Timeon, Jonas, and all the others who had some sort of commanding role and reemphasized the importance of coordinating every aspect of their journey from this point on. For the first time, the children and weaker among them were slowly being ushered to the rear, where a select group of the stronger would assist in protecting them. The rest of the edyrem were divided under Uldyssian’s most trusted.
Only Serenthia and he had no one personally under them, they being the two to coordinate most of the potential action. It still surprised him that the merchant’s daughter had become second only to him; this was not a Serenthia he could have earlier in his life ever imagined knowing.
But without her, Uldyssian could not have imagined now leading such a vast force.
Shortly before daybreak, he awoke to the sense that Rashim was trying to contact him. At first, Uldyssian expected to hear the worst, but the Hashiri had only sought to tell them that
he and his companions were beginning their return. There had been no hint of danger emerging from Kalinash; the city appeared entirely oblivious to the edyrem’s movements.
That gave Uldyssian tremendous relief. He alerted Serenthia and the others. Then, as soon as everyone had eaten, he ordered the edyrem on their trek again.
And barely three hours into the day, they sighted the towers of Istani in the distance.
Istani might have been smaller than Hashiri or Toraja, but it still appeared much larger than Partha. Uldyssian made an estimate as to the size of the temple based on what he had seen in the previous cities. Not very large, but with the potential to cause enough of a delay to jeopardize their chances of reaching their ultimate destination before Lilith could plot anew.
He decided that there would be no preliminary introduction to the citizenry, as he had done each time in the past; Uldyssian would strike directly at the temple the moment he could and pray that he would be able to make the rest of the Istanians understand that he had done it in part for their sakes.
Aware that the priests might be scrying for any trouble and certain that the edyrem could not remain entirely hidden, Uldyssian sought out the most open path to the city. Speed was essential.
Rashim and the others were not yet back, but Uldyssian could not wait for them. He had the rest of the edyrem spread out as they neared the thinning jungle. Soon, very soon, the gates of Istani would stand before them—
He straightened. For just the slightest of moments, Uldyssian could have sworn that he had felt…
But no…it had to be his anxiety. It had to be.
“Serry,” Uldyssian murmured. “Stand next to me and follow my will.”
She did not question why, trusting in him as always. Once Serenthia was ready, Uldyssian guided her mind to where he wanted her to focus.
“Do you see or sense anything?” he asked.
“No—for a moment, I thought—but no—”
It was the answer that Uldyssian expected and receiving it only made him more suspicious. “Serry, will you let me try something?”
“Together, you mean?” She knew about the spellwork that Lilith had shown Uldyssian while pretending to be her. “If you think it worth to try, then I’ll do it.”
Rather than position themselves as he and Lilith had, Uldyssian simply stood next to Serenthia. They shut their eyes and concentrated on reaching out to one another…
The results were as swift as they were remarkable. The ease with which the two managed to link pleased Uldyssian, who had, in truth, feared complete failure.
There was only one trouble with the link and that was the incredible closeness it created between Uldyssian and Serenthia. To prevent any stirring of his feelings, he quickly guided her mind out in the direction he wished to survey.
However, even after the two of them completed what he felt a thorough search, Uldyssian came away with nothing. He did not even detect what had earlier disturbed him and knew that neither had Serenthia. After a few more minutes of futile hunting, Uldyssian ceased the effort.
“I was wrong,” he muttered. “Merely my imagination.”
“That’s better than another threat, isn’t it?”
Uldyssian nodded. “Just so long as I don’t start seeing shadows everywhere. It’ll become that much harder to tell when a real danger rears its head…”
The edyrem progressed. Uldyssian watched as Istani became an actual city, not merely a few structures above the treetops. He drew in his scouts, wanting no one cut off from the rest. That left only Rashim and his party, who he knew would catch up while Uldyssian was dealing with the local temple.
But to his surprise, before he and his followers could reach the city gates, a contingent from Istani rode out to meet them. There were twenty-five in all, most of them guards. A handful of officials led by a middle-aged, plump figure in rich blue and green silk robes confronted the son of Diomedes.
“We have come to speak with the leader of this army,” the plump man said. He wore an elaborate silver nose ring that itself was encrusted with tiny rubies.
Uldyssian strode forward. He did not care that the Istanian, being mounted, had the advantage in terms of eye level; the official would soon learn who truly held the power in this conversation, especially if he sought to protect the Triune.
“I’m who you seek,” he told the rider. “I am Uldyssian ul-Diomed.” As the official started to speak again, Uldyssian raised his hand. “And I have only one thing to say. You and yours have nothing to fear from us. It’s only the Triune. Stand out of our way and the evil truth about them will be revealed soon enough.”
The rider fidgeted throughout his speech. Finally, the moment that Uldyssian stopped, he blurted, “But that is why we have come to you, Master Uldyssian! There is no need to enter Instani! The Triune…they have fled!”
As Uldyssian stared at the man in disbelief, excited voices broke out among the edyrem.
“What do you mean by that?” he demanded. “When?”
There was that in Uldyssian’s tone that evidently cowed the official further. He bent low in the saddle, hastily explaining, “It was but two days ago, Master Uldyssian! Without word, the priests, the guards—all within the temple—they did vanish during the night! It was noticed by the sentries and the people the next day, and when we went inside to seek the high priest, we found his chamber empty, too!”
“Do you think they’re lying?” murmured Serenthia, a step behind him.
Uldyssian did not answer, for he had already begun finding out on his own the answer to that question. He sensed no guile on the part of the Istanians—in fact, they were afraid of angering him with this news. Satisfied as to them, Uldyssian then reached out to the city itself, seeking the taint of the Triune.
He found traces, but nothing more. The temple was, as the official had insisted, entirely abandoned. Uldyssian’s mind swept over the three-towered edifice, searching for any clue, but the priests had been very thorough in clearing out their rooms.
Seeking their trail, he located, as in Hashir, a secondary city gate near the temple. There were only a few guards manning it and it did not take the son of Diomedes much guesswork to assume that those sentries had been mystically blinded to the departure.
Once into the jungle, the trail quickly faded, the priests having strived hard to avoid detection. However, what little was evident indicated a route heading directly toward the supreme temple.
While Uldyssian had been doing all this, the Istanians had grown more and more anxious. They could not know what the foreigner was doing standing there as if asleep. The lead official kept glancing back at his counterparts, likely begging for some advice. However, they remained silent, none wishing to be drawn into the talks. Clearly, if there proved to be any violence, the blame would all fall upon the spokesman, who likely had been chosen for this task against his liking.
Withdrawing from his search, Uldyssian exhaled, then met the first rider’s wide-eyed gaze. “You speak the truth.”
This brought renewed excitement from the edyrem. Their master’s enemies were running scared. Victory was surely at hand…
Uldyssian dared not get his own hopes up. Still, this reprieve meant that less time would be lost in this area. If they left in the morning, they could reach the supreme temple two days earlier than planned.
“You speak the truth,” he repeated, “and so there remains only one thing for us before we leave your domain.”
The Istani leaders all looked sick. They no doubt expected either some reprisal or some great demand for riches.
“We’ve need of some food and fresh water. In addition, we must make camp nearby. Any of your people are welcome to trade with us, to learn about us.” Because of the shortness of time, Uldyssian could not enter Istani and preach to the locals. That would come later, supposing that he survived his confrontation with Lilith.
A hint of relief spread through the locals. The lead official nodded several times. “Food and water can be
provided, yes, Master Uldyssian! There are those who will trade with you also, yes!” He leaned back. “Barenji! See to it, yes?”
One of the other officials nodded once, then turned his horse around and rode off as if on fire.
Uldyssian indicated his gratitude. “That’s all, then. If any of you have other questions, I’ll answer them; if not, then I wish the wise people of Instani good health and thank them for their efforts.”
It was not exactly the formal greeting that he had learned for Hashir, but it was satisfactory. With many bows, the contingent turned and rode back to the city.
“Can they be trusted with the food and water?” asked Timeon. “They may seek to poison it…”
That was highly doubtful to Uldyssian, but he had already considered what to do. “Nothing’ll be distributed until I’ve looked it over.”
His answer was, of course, enough to satisfy the others. They had full trust in him, which Uldyssian appreciated. He prayed that he would not let them down.
With the guidance of those among the edyrem who understood the territory best, Uldyssian chose a place to camp for the night. Even before his followers had settled down, the Istani began to bring foodstuff for them. The articles came in wagons drawn by both oxen and more of the huge beasts used in the lowlands. Saron called them pachyshon, which meant “long-nosed brothers.” The pachyshon made delivering the food a quicker operation, for they used their flexible snouts to reach baskets down to where Uldyssian awaited. Once he made certain that there was no poison or other threat, Saron, Timeon, and others began passing the supplies around.
The Istanians treated them with the utmost regard, almost falling over themselves to please. Uldyssian did not expect any of the locals to come to hear about the edyrem, but a large handful did. He welcomed them and spoke to all as he had times previous. Some of the Istani departed after his speech, but more stayed. To the latter, Uldyssian offered to reveal their own gifts.
This time, he did one other thing as he stirred the latent powers to life. Within each, Uldyssian sought out as best he could any kernel of darkness that he could find and crushed it utterly. There would be no repeat of Lilith’s foul work with Romus and the other unfortunates.
Diablo: The Sin War Box Set: Birthright, Scales of the Serpent, and The Veiled Prophet Page 58